Four Days
by fate-has-laid-a-hand
Summary: What if Callie had also been on the plane that crashed? - A Calzona tale of survival. - AU.
1. Day One

**Day One.**

 _What the hell is that noise?_ Callie thought to herself, a low groaning sound reaching her ears. _Oh_ , it dawned on her a moment later, _it's me._

Calliope Torres lay in a pile of snapped twigs and broken bits of twisted metal, heaving out panting breaths and short moans of discomfort. Her eyes focused on the green leaves that hung overhead from branches, and the thin streams of sunlight that shone through the gaps between them. For a moment, just a moment, the scenery that she found herself surrounded by was almost serene.

There was no pain just yet. There was nothing.

That didn't last long at all however, a piercing scream soon ringing out through the woods, following another, sending birds flying from the trees.

It startled Callie so much so that she bolted upright to sit, a sharp pain shooting through her head as she did so. " _Fuck_ ," She hissed, bringing up a hand to press to her forehead, eyes instinctively squeezing shut. "Fuck," She repeated, the whole situation suddenly becoming too real for her.

She had been on a plane. The plane…crashed? But she was alive. Were her friends alive? Oh God, was her wife alive?

Forcing her eyes back open, she surveillanced the area, trying to locate where the scream was coming from.

Her eyes landed on a prone body not to far from her; the only defining feature she was able to see while in her current position was a head of matted blonde hair. No one else on the plane had hair like that.

"Arizona!" Callie cried out, voice hoarse and breaking through the last syllable of the other woman's name.

The screaming came to a gasping stop, quiet grunting heard shortly after as Arizona attempted to twist her body in order to see the woman to whom the voice belonged. She knew that voice anywhere, under any circumstances, but she needed to visually confirm that her ears weren't deceiving her.

"Call…iope," A strained voice answered, causing a puff of air to escape past Callie lips in relief. The hand that was still strewn across her face came into contact with something wet and Callie quickly pulled it away to see if it was blood, but it wasn't. She was crying. Quickly, she wiped the tears from existence.

"Arizona, don't move! I'm going to come to you!" From what she could see on herself, she wasn't injured too badly. There were several short gashes across her right bicep where sharp pieces of aluminum had sliced the flesh open right through the material of her shirt, causing blood to drip from the cuts and stain her blue scrub top a deep purple color. Callie had an obvious concussion as well and she would most likely be in need of stitches, but she didn't feel as though her life was at risk.

Arizona, on the other hand, had been letting out a series of screams, which couldn't indicate anything good. She'd never heard her scream like that before. Callie was scared to check on her, but she had to.

Then, there was the task of finding the others.

Slowly, the brunette rose to her feet, stumbling slightly and nearly toppling over, but catching herself at the last moment. She forced herself to walk forward, each step slightly painful, only stopping when she was less than a foot away from Arizona.

Being so close to her wife allowed her to see her main injury, and the sight of something so horrible on the woman she loved make her want to vomit. Callie was used to seeing broken bones - she saw them almost daily, as a result of specializing in ortho. But it was a completely different story when it was a broken bone of someone she loved.

"Oh, sweetie," Callie whispered, walking around her and kneeling by her side, eyes scanning over the blonde's injured thigh before gazing up to the scrapes along the side of her face. Her left side had definitely taken most of the impact.

Arizona had most likely ripped open her pants where her leg was broken in order to assess the damage before Callie had even woken up and the sight that they were met with because of it was horrifying. And that's when the screaming began.

Callie tried to swallow past the lump that formed in her throat to no avail. Reaching down, she took Arizona's right hand within her own.

'Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out,' was a constant mantra in the brunette's mind.

"Callie," Arizona whined quietly, blue eyes wide and terrified as they gazed into brown, hand squeezing hers for dear life. "I… I can see my bone." Her voice was so small and quiet that it was a wonder that the previous screams could've even come from her fragile body. "Are you…okay?"

Skipping over Arizona's statement for the time being, she quickly nodded at the question, which caused her head to throb. "I'm okay, and you're going to be okay too. Let's get you sitting up so I can take a look at your leg, alright?" Callie's voice was tight as she desperately fought to keep her composure.

Arizona just gave a slight nod of her head in confirmation, choosing to not speak on the fact that this all was most certainly not okay.

With Callie's help, the blonde was soon brought up into a sitting position, back leaning against a piece of wreckage.

A human femur is the longest and strongest bone in the body. The orthopedic surgeon knew that because femurs were so strong, it usually took a lot of force to break one. And knowing that fact, made her heart ache for Arizona. She must've been tossed around like a ragdoll.

Tentatively, Callie reached out to peel back a strip of fabric partially covering the wound, the slight action earning her a hiss of pain from between Arizona's clenched teeth. "I'm sorry," Callie whispered even though she didn't halt her movements, needing to fully check just how bad her leg was.

"It's fine," Arizona answered mainly because she knew adrenaline was still coursing through her veins and she was more than likely in shock, which meant she wasn't feeling the full extent of her injuries just yet. And even though Callie noted that there weren't any immediate signs of infection, she knew the wound still had to be cleaned out. They needed a first aid kit.

"Still," The brunette countered, voice low as she focused on the task at hand which included making sure that Arizona's broken leg wouldn't become infested with the bugs that crawled across the forest floor.

"You aren't okay," Arizona then suddenly gasped, the fingertips of her left hand delicately brushing across a gash that marred Callie's chest, causing the brunette to sharply inhale, not having anticipated the touch to sting. "You're all cut up," She sadly continued, as if she just fully regained her sight and realized that her wife hadn't come out of the crash completely unscathed.

"Just a few scratches," Callie readily brushed off, even though she somehow hadn't noticed that the laceration across her own chest. "I need to take care of you first, then our friends. I'm okay, I promise."

A sudden look of realization passed over bloodied features, Arizona's jaw hanging slightly agape. "Our friends," She quietly repeated, blinking several times. "Oh God. Are they alive? Have you seen any of them?"

Normally, if Callie got a cut that looked as though it may need even a stitch or two, the wives would get into a spat over whether or not the brunette should actually allow a needle to touch the open wound. Callie would argue that a few scars were badass and sexy, while Arizona would point out the higher risk for infection if it went unstitched. And Callie would normally give in. They didn't usually bring up the possibility of the colleagues they came to know as their family, being dead.

"I haven't seen them," Callie answered, clearing her throat shortly afterwards. She couldn't cry again, she couldn't let Arizona see her cry. That would just worsen things. "But I'm going to find them. I... I'm sure they're okay."

No, Callie didn't know if any of the rest of them had survived. But if nothing else, she had to at least keep some form of hope.

"Okay," Arizona briefly closed her eyes as she sighed out the barely audible single word, giving a short nod as her eyes fluttered back open, locking with Callie. "Okay."

A tight smile was all Arizona received from Callie in response.

Five minutes later, Callie was standing up and letting go of her hand, a kiss being pressed to Arizona's forehead in the process. "I love you," She stated, feeling as if it'd been far too long since the last time she let her wife be aware of that fact. "I'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere."

"I love you too," Arizona immediately answered, needing to hear those words. "And where exactly could I possibly go?" Her tone was light even though her voice was strained, split lips offering the slightest hint of a smile. But the smile didn't reach her eyes nor did it cause her dimples to be on display.

Callie gave her forehead another kiss in response, bruised fingers combing tangled locks of blonde hair. "I'll be back," She quietly said again before slowly backing away from Arizona.

Arizona silently watched as Callie hurried off to check for their friends before blue eyes traveled back down to gaze at her broken thighbone. A shaky sigh expelled past her lips. Normally, a broken leg wouldn't be _that_ big of a deal. But when you're in the middle of the woods, surrounded by plane debris with no hospital in sight, it suddenly becomes a very big deal.

She could hear Callie's voice calling out the names of the other that had been onboard.

"Mark?! Cristina?! Meredith?! Derek?! Lexie?!"

Then Arizona barely heard the echoes of, "Oh thank God," and assumed she had been successful in finding someone.

Distant chatter filled the air, and Arizona released several calming breaths.

They'd get through this.

* * *

"I found Cristina and Meredith draining Mark's chest with tube from one of those spray bottles things. There was a buildup of fluid, and…" Callie trailed off, palms harshly rubbing over her closed eyes as she tried to think, a first aid kit settled between the two women.

Callie was now sitting in front of Arizona, who had reached out and rested a hand against her thigh. "Oh my God," The blonde's free hand rose to cover her mouth. "Is he going to be okay? Where's Lexie? And Derek?"

Callie forced her eyes back open as tears reluctantly filled them. "I don't know if he'll be okay," She answered in an honest whisper, voice trembling as she stumbled over the words, the thought of losing Mark too causing all the air to expel from her lungs. "Derek's hand was crushed but Meredith stitched it and cleaned it, but Lexie… Lexie didn't…"

"Oh," Arizona rasped out, blinking rapidly as tears tracing thin lines down her cheeks. "Oh, no."

Callie chose to not speak further on the subject for the time being, knowing that if she did, she'd more likely than not completely breakdown. And she couldn't do that. Instead, she began the meticulous task of cleaning Arizona's leg, trying to use the disinfectant spray sparingly since she had no idea how long they'd be out there. The though absolutely terrified her, but what was she to do?

Callie simply let Arizona cry as she tended to her leg, eyes focused on her own methodical movements.

The blonde didn't protest when Callie stated she was going to put a makeshift splint on her leg and instead she just stared off into space, not seeming to look at anything in particular.

There was nothing to say - they had lost one of their own.

Callie didn't even realize she'd begun to cry.

 _Were_ they going to get through this?

* * *

 _A/N: First time writing a Grey's fic, so you should let me know if I'm on the right track! Thank you!_


	2. Day Two: Morning

**Day Two.**

 **3a.m.**

"Huh?" Callie mumbled, eyes blinking open in a mixture of sleepiness and confusion as she felt her shoulder lightly being shaken. For a moment, she was startled, having forgotten exactly where she was. But she remembered all too quickly for her liking, the thought of being out in the woods causing her to squeeze her eyes shut and release a shaky breath before allowing them to flutter back open again.

It was dark outside. Very dark. She must've fallen asleep, but she didn't remember falling asleep. And she couldn't see a damn thing; she had to wait until her eyes adjusted.

That was when she heard a sigh of relief and her gaze lifted to the delicate features of the woman who was looming over her own. Then, she realized she was lying across someone's lap.

"Callie, you can't fall asleep, okay," she heard a voice hoarsely whisper, just as her eyes came into focus.

"Arizona? What? Why not? Is everyone okay?" Callie tried to sit up but the hand that had shaken her awake remained on her shoulder, preventing her from doing so.

"Everyone is…as fine as they can be. But you have a concussion. You can't sleep, because then you might not…" Arizona's words tapered off, but Callie knew what she had left unspoken.

 _You can't sleep, because then you might not wake up._

Arizona sniffled and Callie slowly moved to sit up, taking the hand that hand been on her shoulder, into her grasp. She took a quick look around and noted that they were the only two still awake; Meredith and Cristina were sat up and leaning into each other against a fallen tree with Mark across their laps and Derek was laying on the ground beside Meredith.

Bringing her gaze back to a teary eyed Arizona, she exhaled a quiet sigh. "We don't know how long we're going to be out here and under these conditions, neither of us can stay up for hours on end like we do in surgery." Her words were quiet and concise as she lightly ran her thumb just under Arizona's eye to catch a tear as it trickled down her cheek.

Callie was scared. She'd never been more scared in her entire life, except during those days just after the car crash that had threatened her daughter's life. But along with being terrified, she was absolutely exhausted and she couldn't help the need to want to just pass out for the remainder of the night. It was probably a combination of the fact that she'd preformed an eight and a half hour surgery the day prior just before they boarded the plane, and the fact that the crash had taken a lot out of her. It had clearly taken a lot out of all of them, and they couldn't go without sleep. But she also knew the dangers of falling asleep with a concussion.

"Okay," Callie breathed out the single word when Arizona didn't answer her previous statement. "How about I set an alarm to wake us up every two hours?" She suggested, free hand digging through her pocket to produce her iPhone. The screen was smashed to hell and there was no reception, but by the grace of God it still worked and if she left it on airplane mode to conserve battery, it should last for a few days at least. "That way, we can get some rest and you can still check on me."

Hesitantly, Arizona nodded at the idea, watching as Callie set the alarm for two and a half hours, knowing it would take at least a half hour to talk the blonde down enough so that she'd be able to fall asleep as well.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep," came Arizona's soft admission, though it wasn't a surprise to Callie.

Nodding slowly, Callie brushed the pad of her thumb against the back of her wife's hand, shifting to sit directly beside her so that they were shoulder to shoulder. "What do you think Sofia is dreaming about right now?" She ventured to ask, hoping to take Arizona's mind far from the situation at hand. Sofia was safe, and she was a safe topic. Right now she was at the Grey's residence for a sleepover, nestled in bed just across Zola's and being watched over by Amelia Shepherd who had flown in for the week. Sofia was blissfully unaware that all three of her parents were in danger and she was _safe_.

A small smile managed to make its way onto Arizona's lips and for just a split second, Callie could see that sparkle return to her eyes at the mention of their daughter. "Princess tea parties with Zola," she replied fondly, head tilting to the side to rest against Callie's shoulder. "And maybe that little boy at the daycare she always hangs around with."

Arizona's words caused them both to emit a quiet giggle, even as Callie shook her head. "Uh-uh, no me gusta. Sofia can't be thinking about boys, or girls for that matter, until she's at least forty."

That caused another giggle to escape past Arizona's lips, even though it was accompanied by a slight wince since it was uncomfortable to even move the slightest bit. " _We_ aren't even forty yet and we're _married_ ," she pointed out with a small, genuine smile and _oh, God_ how Callie had missed seeing those dimples light up her face.

"Yeah, but that's different," the brunette readily brushed off, setting her phone onto her lap and loosely draping her arm over Arizona's shoulder for both comfort and warmth.

"How is that different?" Arizona questioned, fighting back a yawn as her eyes slowly began to droop shut and she leaned into Callie further. The pain in her leg had eased to a dull throb and she couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing. She was still in pain, a lot of pain, but it felt as if she was slowly getting used to it. As long as she didn't attempt to move her leg, that was.

Callie idly combed her fingers through the blonde's tangled ponytail, a kiss pressing to Arizona's right cheek. Callie's own gashes had been super glued shut, even though it may not have been the most preferable solution. It hurt, it stung, but she would power through it. She'd have to. "Because you're my soul mate."

Yeah, the logic used didn't exactly make much sense, but it managed to keep the small smile on Arizona's face, which was all Callie was really going for in the first place. "We're stranded in the middle of nowhere and you're still trying to sweet talk me. What am I going to do with you, Calliope Torres?"

Callie just gave a grin in response, too tired to come up with a valid answer. They spent a few moments in comfortable silence after that, just leaning into each other.

"I miss Sofia," Arizona spoke up after a few long moments, yawning quietly as she spoke their daughter's name.

"We'll be home to her before you know it." It sounded as if the pair, along with their friends, was just spending a long day at work when Callie spoke of their predicament in that way. But Arizona was tired, in pain and scared, so she chose to believe it. And it was that thought that finally allowed her to doze off.

* * *

 **Day 2.**

 **9a.m.**

The first thing Arizona realized the next time she opened her eyes, was that it was morning. The sun brightly shone overhead and the faint chirps of birds could be heard. The second thing she realized was that Callie was no longer by her side.

"Callie?" She called, immediately panicked. " _Calliope_?" She shouted out again when she got no response.

"Give it a rest!" Arizona flinched as she heard a voice call back, recognizing it as Cristina Yang even though she was faced away from her. "Callie and Mer went to get more firewood. They'll be back soon."

That silenced Arizona, causing her to slink down slightly where she sat. She didn't know why, but she felt like crying. Well, she did know why she'd want to – she was stranded with a bunch of her friends in the middle of nowhere.

But she realized she needed Callie right there beside her. That's what made her want to cry – because her wife was off getting firewood instead of holding her hand. Without her, it felt like she couldn't breathe.

Sure, maybe that sounded a bit dramatic, but under the current circumstances, Arizona figured she was allowed to be a bit dramatic.

Still, she patiently sat there and didn't speak another word on the topic, mainly because she was rapidly blinking to prevent tears from actually falling.

Five minutes went by. Then ten.

What if something happened to them? They were in the middle of the forest. There had to be hungry, wild animals out there.

"How long have they been gone?" Arizona questioned loudly, panic rising to a point in which she couldn't resist making the inquiry.

If the blonde had been facing toward Cristina and Mark, she would've known that they all had worried looks on their faces and were quietly discussing that someone needed to go looking for them. Derek probably would've joined in on the concern, but he was still fast asleep.

Callie and Meredith had been gone too long.

" _Guys_ ," Arizona spoke again when she didn't receive an answer, jaw steeling briefly. "How _long_ have they been _gone_?"

"Robbins, Yang's gonna go find them and see if everything's alright. You just sit tight, they probably got lost or something." Even though Mark tried to sound convincing, he didn't look the part – Arizona had turned her head to glance to him to confirm that. It was probably a mixture of the fact that his fractured ribs hurt and he could hardly walk, and that he just lost Lexie the day before. He wasn't the person to look to for reassurance – none of them currently were.

Heaving out a loud sigh mixed with a groan, Arizona tried and failed to sit up more. "I'm coming with you, Cristina." As she spoke, she attempted to put the slightest bit of pressure on her left leg and – " _Shit_!" She shrilly shouted, searing pain igniting throughout her leg and resonating within her entire being. "Shit, shit, _shit_ ," she continued to chant, eyes squeezing close as tears prickled them, hands clenching into fists to prevent herself from touching her injured leg.

Cristina was by her side in an instant, crouching down next to her. "Unless you have a death wish, you need to stay still. Do you understand me?" She didn't continue to speak until she received a short nod from Arizona, who still had her eyes sealed shut. "Good. Now, I'm going to find Meredith and Callie, and then I'm going to bring them right back here in one piece. Okay?" Cristina's main injury was a dislocated shoulder – she could still get around.

On the brink of hyperventilating by that point from the scenarios her mind ran wild with, Arizona forced her head into another nod and swallowed hard, whispering, "Okay."

Cristina gave a sharp nod and light pat to Arizona's right knee in response before straightening her posture and clearing her throat. "Hey, Mark, can you – " she began, but never got the chance to finish her sentence, because from the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted Meredith, alone, running out of the thick forest and into the clearing that the plane had landed on.

" _Meredith_? Are you okay?" Cristina questioned, running up to meet her halfway and gripping her shoulders, brow furrowing as her friend panted for breath. "Why were you running? … Where's Callie?"

At that, Arizona forced her upper body to turn in the direction of Meredith, blue eyes meeting blue. "Where _the hell_ Callie?" She echoed Cristina's question, a whole new level of anxiety bubbling up in her chest.

"I need help," Meredith gasped out, eyes shifting back to Cristina's, lack of substantial food and sleep having caused her to become winded much more quickly than she normally would have. "Callie collapsed."

She continued talking, continued to say something, to explain what happened, where she was and if she was actually okay but none of it reached Arizona's ears.

 _Callie collapsed, Callie collapsed, Callie collapsed._ It was the only thought her brain would allow her to process for a full ten seconds as her hand clutched at the spot over her heart, trying to regain control of her breathing.

Normally, Arizona was always in control. She always had the situation covered. But now? Now was different.

Callie had to be okay. She couldn't _not_ be okay. Right?

* * *

 _A/N: Ah, Callie may be in trouble._

 _Thank you all for the love on the last chapter! It's what gives me motivation to write. As you probably noticed, this will deviate from canon a bit in places but that's to be expected, considering Callie's here. The main similarities are Arizona, Derek, Meredith and Cristina's injuries, along with Lexie's death._

 _Also, anon reviewer Bri brought up the point of all three of Sofia's parents being in the crash, which is what gave me the idea for the first part of this chapter._

 _Finally, if you have any questions or anything, feel free to contact me on Twitter; hoeforcalliope, or Tumblr; fate-has-laid-a-hand_


End file.
